The End
by Happiness is Love
Summary: It's been years since the beginning of The End, and now residents of Forks are trying to piece together their lives that they had lost. But is it worth living in a ruined world?
1. Chapter 1

"_What do you think you're going to do!" I shouted at him. "The war is pointless!"_

"_I can't just sit here and do nothing." He said solemnly._

"_You have me." I pleaded. "All that's left here is each other and if you leave I'll have nothing left."_

"_You still have dad." _

_I cried. I couldn't help it. "Please Emmett don't leave me here."_

"_Bella one day you'll understand."_

_With that he left me._

…

Thinking back on the day Emmett left always brought a weight down on my chest. It still hurt and what's worse is not knowing.

Not knowing if he died.

Not knowing if the reason he left Forks' is because he needed to leave _me _and the responsibilities that came with me_._

Not knowing if there was something I could have done to make him stay.

I sighed. It didn't matter now.

Emmett was gone.

Dad was dead.

And I was wasting away in this hell hole of a town.

I cringed when I turned over and James was asleep, snoring loudly next to me. He always snored when he drank.

He also got violent when he drank.

I tiptoed from the bed naked, careful not to wake him up. If I woke him up then he'll do worse than what he did hours ago.

I walked into the bathroom, looking at my reflection through what was left of the mirror.

I poked and prodded at my swollen eye. The bruising was just starting to form. Blood lined the side of my mouth where he kicked me.

I didn't cry.

It's been years since I last cried from his abuse.

What was the point?

"Bella!" He summoned.

I had to go to him. He was my protector.

It was a small price to pay to live. I should be grateful for James. If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead.

"Morning." I tried to smile, but my face was too sore.

"I'm leaving," He grunted, "I'll be back later tonight."

I didn't ask where he was going and he didn't say.

I stood there while he dressed, in case he needed help with something.

It was only until he left that I could breathe a sigh of relief.

...

Forks was worse than when I left.

Of course it was. Everywhere was worse.

As I walked past Forks High I thought back to before I left.

"_I need you to do me a favor." I asked Rosalie._

"_Anything." She cried._

_It was our last moments together before I left. She and Bella were the only things making me second guess my decision to leave. It was painful, but I had to do it._

_It was because of them that I was leaving. I was fighting for them._

"_I need you to keep an eye on Bella for me." I told her, "She's not as strong as you and I know she'll need help."_

_She nodded and I kissed her goodbye._

"_I'll see you soon." _

That was five years ago.

I took a deep breath. Thinking about the past never did anyone any good.

Walking past the town from my childhood was surreal. My memories were ruined, just like the buildings. The café where Rose and I would get a burger before the football games was nothing but broken glass and bricks.

Some homes were in shambles, some gone altogether.

It was _eerie _how quiet it was.

The streets would be bustling with cars and townsfolk saying hello. Now all that's left is the heartbreak from The End.

Five years and not a day goes by where I wished I was dead.

There's nothing left in this world to live for.

...

I stood on the porch, watching the sun set.

It was beautiful.

The pinks and oranges from the fading light cast off in the sky. This was my favorite part of my day, twilight.

I smiled to myself.

I might be living in hell, but at least I'm living.


	2. Chapter 2

There she was.

Brown hair, big eyes, and a dainty frame that screamed of a weakness that made you want to protect her. She looked exactly the way I remember her.

But she wasn't the same. Not at all.

Bruises lined her face and scars marked her body. There was an edge around her eyes, as if she'd seen real horrors in this world.

She wasn't my baby sister anymore. I didn't know what she was.

I watched from afar as she looked out over the porch. She just stood there. Not moving, barely breathing, just standing.

I was unsure of myself. I didn't know how my homecoming would affect her. Just remembering the day I left, made a hole burn in my heart.

She begged me to stay. She cried and cried. I thought I was doing her a favor. I thought I was protecting her.

Finally, she turned and went back into the house. It wasn't until I looked at my watch that I realized we'd been standing for hours, her looking out at the horizon, and me looking at her.

"Bella." I breathed.

I wanted to go after her. I really did.

But then I realized what I left behind and knew that I wasn't a part of her life anymore. Neither of us were.

We were both two different people.

I turned around and left.

…

I don't know why but I felt Emmett today. His presence, almost as if he were standing right next to me.

It was impossible though. The war ended years ago, and if you didn't come back by now then there was no hope that you ever would.

Just thinking about him made my eyes water.

"Hello." James' arm snaked around my body. He held me from behind, trapping me between him and the counter where I was preparing dinner.

"Hi." Even to my own ears my voice sounded timid and weak.

"Let's go upstairs." He started leading me away.

"I have to finish this." I argued.

The sting of his slap caught me unawares.

I dropped to my knees from the shock of his blow.

He knelt down and grasped my chin in his hands, "Do I look like I give a shit?"

I tried to shake my head but his grip locked tighter.

He grabbed my arm and used the leverage to throw me towards the stairs. Landing at the base of the stairs I managed to hit my head on the first step. I saw flashes of black and white.

"Get up." He stepped past me, knowing I'd be right behind.

This was my life.

…

I hadn't been here in five years. This was the only place that looked unchanged by the End.

It was unsurprising that I was greeted with a shotgun aimed at my head.

And the gunman was Edward.


	3. Chapter 3

"Get off my property." Edward coked his gun. "Now."

I held my hands up as a peace gesture, "It's me."

His ears must have registered to my voice because his eyes grew wide in recognition, but his gun never wavered.

"I guess it's hard to believe under this beard." I tried to joke.

"What are you doing here?" Edward ignored my attempt to lighten the mood.

"I'm just passing through." I decided, "I need a place to stay for the night."

He shook his head, "I'm sorry but I can't help you."

He back away towards the front door, his gun never leaving me.

Years ago it would have been unbelievable that we were facing each other as enemies, but in these times this was the norm.

"Please Edward." The desperation must have shown in my voice because he sighed and gestured me in.

He led me to the basement. It was weird, everything was exactly the same, but the feeling of this home was different.

It wasn't warm and lively. It was desolate and full of heartbreak.

He led me to the spare room and left, locking me in.

A precaution.

Most soldiers that came back were unstable. They weren't the same person from when they left.

I went into the adjoining bathroom to clean up. I hadn't seen my reflection through a mirror in years, just through any reflective water, or windows. Seeing myself perfectly was disturbing.

My beard touched the base of my chest, and a long jagged scar ran from my left eyebrow to my chin. I was disfigured and broken.

I didn't know how Edward kept running water through the house, and even though the shower wasn't warm, it still felt amazing.

After a quick shave and a long wash I felt cleaner than ever.

A knock sounded at my door, followed by the lock sliding out of place.

"I brought you something to eat." Edward sat a plate of food at the foot of my bed.

"I didn't expect you to give me something to eat." In these times food, along with everything else was scarce. Giving it to someone was an extreme act of kindness.

"Don't worry about it." He grunted.

This wasn't the best friend I remembered. Edward always had a smile on his face, even when he was angry.

"Where have you been?" He asked.

I knew the question was inevitable, but it was still hard to process.

"After the war I wandered." I told him, "I wasn't ready to come back. To see Forks…" I trailed off.

"You were being a coward." He growled.

I deserved that.

He went on, "There were people here that needed you and you left."

"I thought I was doing something to help the cause!" I defended.

"It was a pointless war that lead to nothing but death." He spat, "How do you feel about it now?"

I sat on the edge of the bed with my head in my hands. "I know."

"I went to see Bella today." He masked his expression as soon as I mentioned her. "What happened?"

He sighed and sat next to me, "You have to understand that things changed around here. We weren't neighbors and friends anymore, we were competition. And we were all competing to stay alive."

"I couldn't help her any more than she wanted my help." He said. "We all just parted ways."

We all grew up together, and I knew Bella was like a sister to him. It must have been hard to see her succumb to this life.

"Charlie's dead isn't he?" I asked knowing the answer.

He nodded. But that wasn't all.

"She has a protector." Edward said.

My fists clenched, that's where the bruises on her body came from.

Protectors, despite their names, were nothing but cruel assholes who took what they wanted whenever they wanted in exchange for the protection of that person. It's a harsh way to live.

"And Rosalie?" I asked, not daring to hope.

"She left a year after the war ended." He said.

We sat silent for a minute, "Why did you come back?"

"I wanted to see Bella and make sure she was okay." I replied.

"And how does she look to you?" His voice was laced with anger.

I shook my head, "Stop."

"A lot of shit went down because you weren't here." He argued, "I don't think you should run away again."

I looked up at him, "There's nothing left here."

"We both know that that's not true." He replied.


End file.
